Paula's Medical History

In building a case of murder, the prosecution told the Jury at the trial that Paula had no history of depression. Many witnesses were called to give evidence that she was in good spirits in the weeks before her death. Paulas GP, Doctor Barbour, told the court that he had never known her suffer from depression. He had treated her on one occasion with valium when she was sixteen. This was when she had ended a long-term relationship with her then boyfriend, who, within a few days of the relationship ending, had raped and murdered an 18 year old girl in a local park. He had strangled his victim with his belt and dragging her across the park by the ligature, he threw her body into the lake. Is it likely therefore, that Paula would have allowed somebody to put something around her own neck after that? Her doctor and family told the court that she soon recovered from this traumatic event in her young life. But how likely is it that Paula had made a complete recovery? There is no record in her medical notes of any counselling or psychiatric help that she may or may not have received at the time.

In 1975, when Paula was 15 years old, she was diagnosed as anorexic. Her medical notes are apparently incomplete and again there is no record of what treatment, if any, she was given.

In 1986, ten years after the rape and murder in the park, Paula was again prescribed valium.

Two years later she visited her GP again and was given Mellaril, a drug sometimes prescribed for personality disorders. It seems that Paulas true medical history was never presented to the jury at the trial.